Chapter 1336 - 1331: A Facade Project
This guy is not just stubborn but also sharp-tongued. Since Lin Chuan agreed to let him go, he no longer made things difficult for him and allowed him to leave.
After this incident, everyone was once again astounded by the strength of Lin Chuan and the others. Although there were about a hundred casualties, their morale was boosted. The night passed without further incident, and the next morning, after breakfast, everyone followed Lin Chuan towards the Ghost Gate.
By noon, the group had arrived at the outskirts of the Ghost Gate.
What everyone didn't expect was that the Ghost Gate, renowned throughout Jiangnan, was actually nestled in the mountains.
...
Regarding the Book of Destiny, Lai Xiaole had fiddled with it all night according to Fu Xi's instructions, but he still couldn't make anything of it.
He knew that opening the Golden Compass and rearranging the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches was a very complicated task, not something that could be done in just a day or two.
The next morning, after Lai Xiaole got up, he didn't see Ye Ling or Feng'er. He had no idea what those two were up to these past few days.
Since he had nothing to do, Lai Xiaole left the hotel and headed towards the city bureau.
Just as he reached the entrance of the city bureau, he saw someone – it was Shang Lin, whom he had met before.
Seeing Lai Xiaole, Shang Lin smiled brightly and walked over to greet him, "You're here."
Lai Xiaole nodded and said nothing, which was his way of returning the greeting.
Shang Lin asked, "Today is Saturday, do you have something to do at the bureau?"
Lai Xiaole was taken aback; he had completely forgotten. He smiled awkwardly and said, "Nothing really, I was just bored and decided to drop by."
Shang Lin laughed softly and said, "Since you're so free, could you accompany me somewhere?"
Lai Xiaole was surprised, but seeing Shang Lin's radiant smile, he nodded instinctively.
Despite being just an office worker, Shang Lin actually had her own car, which surprised Lai Xiaole.
Shang Lin drove for about half an hour along the streets and stopped in front of a dilapidated building. Lai Xiaole got out of the car and was taken aback to find that Shang Lin had brought him to an orphanage.
"I'm the social worker at this orphanage, unexpected right?" Shang Lin said with a smile after getting out of the car.
Lai Xiaole truly hadn't expected it. "I really couldn't tell; you're indeed different from other girls," he remarked.
Shang Lin blushed slightly at his words.
Lai Xiaole didn't notice this and continued, "Why does this orphanage look so rundown?"
"This is actually one of the better ones. There's only one orphanage in the city that's lavish, where the children never worry about food or clothing. If there's any reporting to be done, it's usually done there. The others are even worse off," Shang Lin said, feeling frustrated.
"A complete facade for appearances!" Lai Xiaole shook his head with a wry smile and walked inside. The children playing in the yard saw Shang Lin coming in and ran over, exclaiming, "Aunt Shang, Aunt Shang!"
"Hello, everyone!" Shang Lin crouched down with a smile and asked, "Have you been good lately? Have you been listening to the teachers and the director?"
"Yes, we have!" some of the children replied happily, "The director says we're good!"
"Good kids! Look at what I brought you!" Shang Lin took some candies out of her bag and said, "These are what I promised to bring you last time. Aunt never breaks her promise!"
"Auntie is the best!" The children clapped happily, but none of them reached for the candies from Shang Lin's hands. She smiled as she handed them out individually, "Alright, two pieces each. Oh, Xiao Lan, you took one less!"
After Shang Lin had finished distributing candies to the thirty-odd children, she smiled and said, "Alright, you can go play now. I'll have a chat with the director and then come and join you!"
"Aunt Shang, who is that big brother?" some children asked, looking at Lai Xiaole behind Shang Lin, "Is he a new brother?"
"No, he's my friend. His name is Lai Xiaole!" Shang Lin said, hugging Lai Xiaole's arm with a smile, "But you mustn't call him uncle, just call him brother!"
"Hello, Brother Lai!" the children surrounded Lai Xiaole, smiling and greeting him.
"Hello, such lovely kids!" Lai Xiaole said, smiling as he patted a few children on the head, "You're all so well-behaved!"
"Hehe!" The children were delighted by Lai Xiaole's praise and clapped their hands happily. Shang Lin added with a smile, "You all go play; we'll be back after we handle something!"
"Ah, recently the director-auntie hasn't been in a good mood; Aunt Shang, please comfort her and tell her not to worry about us, we'll live well!" a little boy stood and said.
"What do you mean?" Shang Lin walked back, crouched in front of the little boy, and asked with a smile, "What happened?"
"We don't really know, but we saw the director-auntie upset the other day, and it seemed like she was crying!" The child looked at Shang Lin with a gloomy face and said, "Director-auntie and Aunt Shang are close; please help us comfort her!"
"Alright, don't worry!" Shang Lin gently touched the boy's face and said to the children around, "You all go play; everything will be fine!"
"Okay!" The children watched as Shang Lin and Lai Xiaole entered the building, then they dispersed.
Lai Xiaole sighed and said, "I haven't been here before. I didn't expect the conditions to be like this. The kids here are quite well-behaved, aren't they?"
"Yes, you see they don't even scramble for things when I hand them out. Apart from volunteers who can afford to bring them some food, no one really remembers them," Shang Lin said in a softer voice, "They're very pitiable. It's not their fault, but they're the ones suffering!"
"Yeah, but there's nothing anyone can do about it. Don't dwell on it; think more about how to help them!" Lai Xiaole said with a bitter smile.
Actually, seeing all this made Lai Xiaole feel a little emotional. He knew that though it isn't easy for orphans, it toughens them up. If people can't live well, even if you help them, it won't do any good.
Lai Xiaole and Shang Lin walked upstairs, where the paint was peeling off the walls in patches. There was no one around; only their footsteps echoed in the quiet building.
"How many people are there here?" Lai Xiaole asked, looking around, "Are there a hundred kids?"
"A hundred? No!" Shang Lin shook her head, "There aren't that many, maybe around thirty or so, and some are about to start school and will need to find adoptive families after that!"
"Hello!" As they were talking, a woman holding a stack of files emerged, saw Shang Lin, and smiled, "Shang Lin, you're here! Long time no see!"
"Yes, I've been busy recently so I haven't been by. Let me introduce you; this is my friend, Lai Xiaole!" Shang Lin said with a smile, "Xiao Le, this is the director of the orphanage, Li Qin!"
"Hello, Director Li, nice to meet you!" Lai Xiaole reached out his hand with a smile, "I've often heard Shang Lin mention you, and although we haven't met, it feels like we're old acquaintances!"
Lai Xiaole's words seemed to be somewhat excessively humble.
"Ha ha, you're quite humorous!" Li Qin laughed and replied, "If you had arrived a bit later, I wouldn't have been here. Since you're here, I'll postpone my errand for another day!"
"If we're delaying your work, we can come another time!" Shang Lin smiled and said, "I just came to see the kids; it's been a while, and I've missed them!"
"No worries. These files have been stacking up for half a year, even if I sent them, no one would read them. Let's go!" Li Qin led the two inside.
Lai Xiaole looked around the office; it was just Li Qin; no one else was in sight. "Where's everyone else from your office?" he asked, puzzled.
"They stopped coming because they weren't getting paid!" Li Qin said with a bitter smile, "It's just me here every day now, and the merchant supporting the school went bankrupt, leaving us with no resources for teaching. I've been frantic these past few days!"
"Wow, how irresponsible are these people? How can the children's education be treated like a game at such a time?" Lai Xiaole said helplessly.
"You can't really blame them; everyone needs to make a living. If they can't earn a living through their work, they can't even support their own children, let alone others. I'll keep trying to find other solutions," Li Qin said helplessly.
"Is that why…?" Shang Lin asked, frowning. "The children mentioned you've been down lately because of this?"
"Not entirely; my parents came a few days ago, urging me to come home. They found me a teaching job in the city; the principal there happens to be an old comrade of my dad's. But I can't bear to leave these kids behind. They're so hungry for knowledge and for someone to care for them. How can I walk away?" Li Qin sighed.
"Sigh!" Shang Lin nodded. Indeed, seeing these children outside earlier, one felt their meek demeanor, as if fearing to upset anyone. Perhaps they had already learned what inferiority meant.
These children were destined from birth to be a step lower than others, a mark of abandonment by their parents that they can never shake off.
People grow as time passes, slowly understanding some truths and becoming indifferent to others. These external factors will eventually become less significant.